Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02COLOMBO1927
2002-10-16 11:19:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 143 (10-16-02)

Tags:  AMGT CE 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001927 

SIPDIS

OFFICIAL INFORMAL

DEPT FOR SA/INS FROM AMBASSADOR WILLS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-16-12
TAGS: AMGT CE
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 143 (10-16-02)


Classified by DCM Lewis Amselem, Reasons 1.5 (b, d)

CONTENTS: GSL RE IRAQ
MM 2 D
MALDIVES/ICC ARTICLE 98
BALASINGHAM/HELGESEN
AGREMENT REQUEST
JIM WALLER

GSL RE IRAQ
-----------
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001927

SIPDIS

OFFICIAL INFORMAL

DEPT FOR SA/INS FROM AMBASSADOR WILLS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-16-12
TAGS: AMGT CE
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 143 (10-16-02)


Classified by DCM Lewis Amselem, Reasons 1.5 (b, d)

CONTENTS: GSL RE IRAQ
MM 2 D
MALDIVES/ICC ARTICLE 98
BALASINGHAM/HELGESEN
AGREMENT REQUEST
JIM WALLER

GSL RE IRAQ
--------------

1. (C) On October 15, Milinda Moragoda passed to the
Ambassador an advance copy of a statement on Iraq that
the GSL is planning to release in the near future.

Begin text:

-- Sri Lanka welcomes the decision of the government of
Iraq to allow the weapons inspectors entry into the
country without any condition.

-- Sri Lanka hopes that the decision of Iraq will pave
the way for the weapons inspectors to resume their work
without further delay in that country towards the
elimination of weapons of mass destruction.

-- Sri Lanka has long argued that Iraq should fully
comply with all Security Council Resolutions and respect
its international commitments to avoid further escalation
of tension in the region. End text.

MORAGODA'S MEETING WITH D
--------------

2. (SBU) Moragoda is eager to know when he will have his
meeting with the Deputy Secretary. He has been invited
to Tokyo by the Japanese to discuss donor issues; his
travel to Japan is contingent on when he sees D. He
would appreciate an answer asap.

MALDIVES/ICC ARTICLE 98
--------------

3. (C) You would have seen our front-channel yesterday
reporting the latest on where the GSL stands on signing
the bilateral agreement (Colombo 1919). We are
essentially just waiting for the GSL to name a time for
the signing ceremony (unless some problem crops up). We
will keep on it. By the way, we have not forgotten the
MALDIVES. The Maldivians still have not gotten back to
us re our recent dipnote on this issue (and our many
previous entreaties). Our idea now is to wait until we
have the GSL signature in the bag and then approach Male
again. That might help enlist the GoRM, we think.

BALASINGHAM/HELGESEN
--------------

4. (C) The Ops Center called today to confirm that
Balasingham was now in Sri Lanka. In what was certainly
one of those wacky coincidences that science alone cannot
explain, we had actually reported on this issue yesterday
in Colombo 1920!! The Ops Center promised to read that
message. Further details re Balasingham's stopover at
Colombo's airport: At a reception at the Residence last
night for the visiting Defense Planning team, we were
told by GSL officials that Balasingham and his wife
arrived at Colombo's airport from London on a regular Sri
Lankan Airlines flight. Both he and his wife, Adele,
were in first class (how revolutionary can you get!!).
They were then whisked in a GSL chopper to the Wanni.
Balasingham apparently used a British passport for
immigration purposes. Re Deputy Foreign Minister
Helgesen, we understand from Milinda that he and his team
are due to arrive in Colombo this coming weekend.

AGREMENT REQUEST
--------------

5. (SBU) Just want to make sure that you saw Devinda
Subasinghe's agrement request (Colombo 1918) and are
processing it. We also faxed his official c.v.

JIM WALLER
--------------

6. (U) When Jim was last seen, he was getting into a
vehicle yesterday for a trip down south. He's due back
in Colombo tonight. While suffering from loads of
jetlag, Jim valiantly attended loads of the defense
planning team's meetings earlier in the week.

WILLS